April 29, 2025 - Letters from an American

Summary

Podcast Summary: "Letters from an American"
Episode: April 29, 2025
Host/Author: Heather Cox Richardson

Introduction

In the April 29, 2025 episode of "Letters from an American," historian Heather Cox Richardson delves into a comparative analysis of the first 100 days of two distinctly different presidencies: Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR) during the Great Depression and Donald Trump in the midst of his second term. Richardson explores how each president utilized their initial days in office to shape their administrations and the broader implications for American democracy.

FDR’s First 100 Days: Establishing the New Deal

Richardson begins by highlighting the historical significance of FDR's first 100 days, a period that set the precedent for presidential activity.

Swift Legislative Action: Upon taking office on March 4, 1933, FDR immediately addressed the Great Depression by convening a special session of Congress on March 9. This rapid response led to the passage of 15 major bills and 77 other measures aimed at economic stabilization and rebuilding.
Key Initiatives: Among the transformative actions were the stabilization of banks, tax increases to fund borrowing, and the establishment of programs such as the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC). The CCC employed 300,000 young men in environmental conservation projects, illustrating the administration's commitment to both immediate relief and long-term infrastructure improvement.
FDR’s Vision: On July 24, 1933, in a fireside chat, FDR reflected on the accomplishments of the first 100 days. He emphasized the power of collective action, stating, “It goes back to the basic idea of society and of the nation itself, that people acting in a group can accomplish things which no individual acting alone could even hope to bring about” (07:45).

Trump’s First 100 Days: A Divergent Path

Contrasting sharply with FDR’s expansion of the federal role, Richardson examines President Donald Trump's approach during the initial phase of his second term.

Rallying Claims vs. Legislative Output: Trump proclaimed his 100-day tenure as the “Most successful first 100 days of any administration in the history of our country,” a sentiment echoed by his supporters (02:15). However, in reality, his administration had only five measures signed into law, including the Lake and Riley Act, a stopgap funding measure, and three resolutions aimed at repealing Biden-era regulations.
Undermining Established Institutions: Unlike FDR, Trump focused on dismantling the existing federal framework. Richardson notes, “Trump set out to destroy the modern American state, gutting the civil service and illegally shuttering federal agencies” (05:30). His administration sought to reverse over 92 years of policies designed to serve ordinary Americans, shifting the government's role to favor the wealthy and powerful.
Authoritarian Tendencies: Trump's actions resembled those of autocratic leaders. He withdrew the U.S. from global leadership roles, aligned with autocrats like Russia’s Vladimir Putin, and engaged in practices such as the illegal rendition of migrants to El Salvador without due process (08:50).
Corruption Allegations: Richardson points out the pervasive corruption within Trump's administration, highlighting cases like Interior Secretary Doug Burgum’s mismanagement and Elon Musk’s creation of a master database of American information, raising concerns about privacy and misuse of power (09:20).
Economic Impact: Trump's implementation of new tariffs, particularly targeting the auto industry, resulted in economic turmoil. What was once a booming economy experienced a significant downturn within the first 100 days, contributing to Trump’s plummeting job approval ratings—the lowest after 100 days in 80 years (10:10).

Public and Political Backlash

Richardson details the multifaceted resistance to Trump’s administration from both governmental institutions and grassroots movements.

Legal Challenges: Democratic attorneys general from states like California and New York proactively filed lawsuits against Trump's executive orders, successfully challenging his authority and sparking Republican attacks on the judiciary (03:40).
Grassroots Mobilization: Initially perceived as too fragmented, opposition movements gained momentum through digital organizing and local efforts. This culminated in over 1,400 rallies across all 50 states on April 5, mobilizing millions to protest against Trump's policies (07:00).
Prominent Political Figures: Influential Democrats like Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Senator Bernie Sanders launched the "Fighting Oligarchy" tour, attracting large crowds even in traditionally pro-Trump areas. Senator Cory Booker’s marathon speech on March 31, advocating for the defense of democracy, went viral on platforms like TikTok, amassing 400 million likes (09:55).
Strategic Protests and Advocacy: Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker urged mass protests and comprehensive mobilization, emphasizing the need to challenge Republican policies through both public demonstrations and electoral action (10:45).

Institutional Resistance: Harvard’s Stand

A notable moment of institutional resistance occurred when Harvard University rejected the Trump administration’s demands to regulate its intellectual and civil rights operations in exchange for significant federal funding.

Harvard’s Statement: “Harvard will not surrender its independence or relinquish its constitutional rights... Harvard is not prepared to agree to demands that go beyond the lawful authority of this or any administration” (04:30).

This firm stance underscored the resilience of academic institutions in defending their autonomy against governmental overreach.

Conclusion: Defending Democracy through Collective Action

Heather Cox Richardson concludes by reaffirming the enduring strength of American democracy when citizens unite against authoritarianism. Drawing parallels to FDR’s belief in collective action, she underscores that the opposition to Trump’s dismantling of the federal state showcases how “people acting together can accomplish things which no individual acting alone could even hope to bring about” (11:50).

Despite unprecedented challenges, the collective efforts of legal institutions, grassroots activists, and political leaders have played a crucial role in safeguarding democratic principles and ensuring that the legacy of a government dedicated to ordinary Americans endures.

Notable Quotes

FDR on Collective Action: “It goes back to the basic idea of society and of the nation itself, that people acting in a group can accomplish things which no individual acting alone could even hope to bring about” (07:45).
Trump’s Rallying Statement: “This is the best, they say, 100 day start of any president in history, and everyone is saying it. We've just gotten started. You haven't seen anything yet” (02:15).
Cory Booker’s Call to Action: “We must castigate them on the soapbox and then punish them at the ballot box. They must feel in their bones that when we survive this shameful episode of American history with our democracy intact because we have no alternative but to do just that...” (10:00).
Harvard’s Defiance: “Harvard will not surrender its independence or relinquish its constitutional rights... Harvard is not prepared to agree to demands that go beyond the lawful authority of this or any administration” (04:30).

Production Credits

Written and Read by: Heather Cox Richardson
Produced by: Soundscape Productions, Dedham, MA
Music Composed by: Michael Moss

This episode of "Letters from an American" offers a profound exploration of presidential impacts within their initial periods, emphasizing the enduring significance of collective action in shaping and defending democratic institutions.

Transcript

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April 29, 2025, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt popularized the idea that the first 100 days of a presidency established an administration's direction. As soon as he took office on March 4, 1933, he called Congress into special session to meet on March 9 to address the emergency of the Great Depression. Congress responded to the crisis by quickly passing 15 major bills and 77 other measures, first to stabilize the economy and then to rebuild it. On July 24, 1933, FDR looked back at the crowding events of the Hundred Days, which had been devoted to the starting of the wheels of the New Deal. In a fireside chat broadcast over the radio, FDR explained that his administration had stabilized the nation's banks and raised taxes to pay for millions in borrowing. That federal money was feeding starving people, as well as employing 300,000 young men to work in the Civilian Conservation Corps, planting trees to prevent soil erosion, building levees and dams for flood control and and maintaining forest roads and trails. It was also funding a public works program for highways and inland navigation as well as state based municipal improvements. The government had also raised farm income and wages by regulating agriculture and abolishing child labor. FDR was speaking on July 24th to encourage Americans to get behind a program of shorter hours and higher wages to create purchasing power that would restart the economy. It goes back to the basic idea of society and of the nation itself, that people acting in a group can accomplish things which no individual acting alone could even hope to bring about, he said. If I am asked whether the American people will pull themselves out of this depression, I answer they will if they want to. Today is the hundredth day of President Donald Trump's second term in office. He marked it by delivering what amounted to a rally outside Detroit, Michigan in which he claimed his had been the Most successful first 100 days of any administration in the history of our country. And that's according to many, many people. This is the best, they say, 100 day start of any president in history, and everyone is saying it. We've just gotten started. You haven't seen anything yet. In fact, Trump has signed just five measures into the Lake and Riley act, which Congress passed before he took office, a stopgap funding measure and three resolutions overturning rules set by the Biden administration. But Trump's administration does parallel FDR's in an odd way. Trump set out in his first hundred days to undo the government FDR established. In his first hundred days, Trump has turned the nation away from 92 years of a government that sought to serve ordinary Americans by regulating business, providing a basic social safety net, promoting infrastructure, protecting civil rights and stabilizing global security and trade. Instead, he is trying to recreate the nation of more than 100 years ago, in which the role of government was to protect the wealthy and enable them to make money from the country's resources and its people. Trump set out to destroy the modern American state, gutting the civil service and illegally shuttering federal agencies as well as slashing through government programs. His team has withdrawn the US from its global leadership and rejected democratic allies in favor of autocrats like Russia's Vladimir Putin. At home, he has imitated those autocrats, ignoring the rule of law and rendering migrants to prison in El Salvador without due process and using the power of the state to threaten those he perceives as his enemies. As is typical with autocratic governments, corruption appears to be running deep in this White House. The president and his family are openly profiting from his office, and it would be hard to find a better example of a government letting cronies profit off public resources than Interior Secretary Doug Burgum's relinquishing of control over the department to a doggy operative, or of a government permitting businesses to profit from ordinary Americans than billionaire Elon Musk's apparent creation of a master database of Americans information. Trump's dismantling of the modern American state has been a disaster. Trump spoke tonight in Michigan to tout his hope that his new tariffs will center auto manufacturing back in the U.S. but the economic chaos his tariff policies have unleashed has turned what was a booming economy a hundred days sharply downward. That economic slump, along with Trump's illegal renditions of men to El Salvador and the gutting of services Americans depend on, has given Trump the lowest job approval rating after 100 days of any president in 80 years. And that suggests another way to look at the first 100 days of a presidential term. For all that the Hundred Days trope focuses on Presidents, the first 100 days of Trump's second term have shown Americans, sometimes encouraged by their allies abroad, pushing back against Trump to restore American democracy. Democratic attorneys general began to plan for a possible Trump second term in February 2024, preparing for cases they might have to file if Trump followed through with his campaign promises or implemented Project 2025. California, with 5,600 staffers in its Department of Justice, and New York, with 2,400, carried much of the weight they were able to file their first challenges to Trump's January 20th executive orders on January 21st. Their lawsuits and those of others have been so successful that they have sparked both Trump and MAGA Republicans to attack judges and even the judiciary. Early observers of the movement to stop Trump's destruction of the modern state argued that the opposition was too burned out to mount any meaningful pushback against a newly emboldened Trump. But in fact, people were not in the streets because they were organizing over computer apps and at the local level, a reality that burst into the open at Republican town halls in late February as angry voters protested government cuts at the hands of Musk's Department of Government Efficiency. On March 4, Representative Richard Hudson, a Republican of North Carolina, the head of the House Republicans campaign arm, told Republicans to stop holding town halls to stop the protests from gaining attention. So Democrats began holding their own packed town halls in the absent Republicans districts. On March 20, 2025, Representative Alexandria Ocasio Cortez, a Democrat of New and Senator Bernie Sanders, an independent of Vermont, launched their Fighting Oligarchy tour in Las Vegas. Unexpectedly, huge crowds flocked to their rallies across the west, revealing a deep well of unhappiness at the current government, even in areas that had voted for Trump. At 7:00 on the evening of March 31st, Senator Cory Booker, a Democrat of New Jersey, launched a marathon speech attacking the Trump administration and imploring Republicans to defend democracy because he said he had been hearing from people all over my state and indeed all over the nation, calling upon folks in Congress to do more, to do things that recognize the urgency, the crisis of the moment. And so we all have a responsibility, I believe, to do something different, to cause, as John Lewis said, good trouble, and that includes me. Before he finished 25 hours later on April 1, his speech, the longest in congressional history, had been liked on TikTok 400 million times. The quiet organizing of the early months of the administration showed when the first call for a public hands off protest on April 5 produced more than 1400 rallies in all 50 states and turned out millions of people. Organizers called for an end to the billionaire takeover and rampant corruption of the Trump administration an end to slashing federal funds for Medicaid, Social Security and other programs working people rely on, and an end to the attacks on immigrants, trans people and other communities. On April 11, Harvard University rejected the administration's demand to regulate the intellectual and civil rights conditions at Harvard, including its governance, admissions programs and extracurricular activities in exchange for the continuation of $2.2 billion in multi year grants and a $60 million contract, Harvard's lawyers wrote, the university will not surrender its independence or relinquish its constitutional rights neither Harvard nor any other private university can allow itself to be taken over by the federal government. Accordingly, Harvard will not accept the government's terms as an agreement in principle. Harvard is not prepared to agree to demands that go beyond the lawful authority of this or any administration. Last Sunday, April 27, Illinois Governor J.B. pritzker gave a barn burning speech to Democrats in New Hampshire telling them to fight everywhere and all at once. Never before in my life have I called for mass protests, for mobilization, for disruption, but I am now, he said. These Republicans cannot know a moment of peace. They have to understand that we will fight their cruelty with every megaphone and microphone that we have. We must castigate them on the soapbox and then punish them at the ballot box. They must feel in their bones that when we survive this shameful episode of American history with our democracy intact because we have no alternative but to do just that, that we will relegate their portraits to the museum halls reserved for tyrants and traitors. And so, even as Trump tries to erase the government FDR pioneered, Americans are demonstrating their support for a government that defends ordinary people and proving the truth of FDR's words from 1933 that when people act together, they can accomplish things which no individual acting alone could even hope to bring about.